1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to Push-To-Talk (PTT) voice communications, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for recording and replaying PTT voice communications in a mobile station.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wireless communication device, such as a cellular telephone or mobile station, is capable of making and receiving voice calls and/or sending and receiving data over a wireless communication network Some networks offer mobile stations the ability to communicate in “push-to-talk” (PTT) modes. One example of a wireless network that provides for PTT communications is an iDEN network. Other networks utilize Push-to-talk over Cellular (PoC) technology. PoC communication utilizes Voice-over-IP (VoIP) techniques which involve the communication of data packets carrying voice data.
PTT voice communications are different from traditional cellular telephony communications in that the voice communications are generally immediate and unannounced. An end user of the mobile station may be busy or caught “off-guard” and not listening to the initial communication. Thus, the end user may not hear at least the initial PTT voice communication. This is inconvenient and often wasteful of bandwidth resources, as the talk groups may have to respond to indicate that they did not hear the initial PTT communication.
Accordingly, there is a resulting need for mobile station methods and apparatus to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.